Since 2009, members of the Hare Krishna religious movement have pursued a proposed temple at the intersection of Baldwin Road and Troy Road in Parsippany.Google Maps

PARSIPPANY — After more than three years, the end of the application process for a proposed Hare Krishna temple near the intersection of Troy and Baldwin Roads may finally be in sight, attorney Robert Garofalo said.

Garofalo, who represents the International Society of Krishna Consciousness of New Jersey, said he believes the application may finally go before the zoning board for final consideration within the next several months.

"We're winding down," Garofalo said. "We're hoping that in the next couple of months we'll be done (with the process)."

Since 2009, the
Montville-based International Society of Krishna Consciousness of New
Jersey has
proposed building its temple near Smith Field Park,
but neighbors' concerns and zoning issues have repeatedly delayed the project.

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For the
past 30 years, ISKCON of New Jersey members have made do with
a nearly century-old Towaco mansion as their temple, but the
maintenance and upkeep of the mansion prompted temple leaders to
pursue a new temple designed to meet their needs, Madan Gopal das, an
initiate temple priest, told NJ.com in October.

"Das" and "dasi" are the respective titles for male and female
priests in ISKCON.

Parsippany is a prime location for the new temple because about 40
percent of the congregation is based in the township, Madan Gopal das
said. Eighty-five percent of the congregation is Indian or of Indian
descent, but many Indians who come to the temple do so more to reconnect with
their culture than strict belief in the tenets of ISKCON, he
said.

Garofalo said his clients have tried to accommodate neighbors' concerns as much as possible by including a foliage buffer around the front of the property to shield the proposed parking lot from view in their application. The proposed temple would be set back 50 feet from the front of the property line to allow for a parking lot in the front yard, he said.

"My clients want to be good neighbors," Garofalo said.

Zoning board chairman Robert Iracane previously said ISKCON has
made "numerous concessions" since its initial proposal including the addition of the foliage buffer.

Garofalo said the zoning board is next scheduled to hear the application on April 3.

He added that more witnesses including site planners for ISKCON and the opposition would likely be called to testify before the end of the hearing process.

Attorney Gary Hall, who represents neighbors opposed to the project, had not yet returned calls placed Thursday.